Top 10 Universities to Study Informatics in Germany 2024 New List

Informatics in Germany

In my previous articles, I have mentioned the increasing interest in “Informatics” or “Informatics” in Germany in recent years and the employment needs in the German industry. Being aware of the fact that qualified personnel have become very valuable in the sector recently due to the fact that I am in the sector, I mentioned that both the sector and the schools in Germany could not respond to the increasing demands in the recent period, and I wrote an article for those who would prefer to study “Informatics” in Germany. You can access this article from the “Studying Computer Science (Informatics) in Germany” page.

Although informatics was popular when we were new graduates, it was a sector with limited job opportunities and only large financial companies were interested in it due to obligations. At the point we have reached, IT career has become one of the most popular occupational groups due to the introduction of digitalization into all areas of life and the developments called the 4th industrial revolution in the production sector. I am also happy to see that young people have career goals in this field.

In countries like Germany, which has a developed industry and develops with production, these developments have been closely monitored for many years and they are trying to supply the employment deficits that they cannot meet with their own resources from foreign countries. Don’t misunderstand, it is not that Germany has no money, cannot build new schools and cannot train new engineers and informaticians. It’s just that they can’t increase quotas or open new departments because they can’t find academic staff to teach at the standard they want. This is what I like most about Germans: “No compromise on rules and standards, no matter what the conditions are.” When IT is so popular, you may be wondering how much those who do this profession earn. Please take a look at my article on How Much IT Professionals Earn in Germany.

In addition to its advanced technological structure and the presence of large industrial giants, the close cooperation of German industry with universities and practical application opportunities make Germany one of the right countries for IT education. Universities offer more than 1600 IT education programs, 900 of which are undergraduate programs. Moreover, more than 230 of these programs are in English, 33 of which are undergraduate programs.

For those who are interested, I have compiled the best schools in this field for you. Remember, good school means hard school!

There is something I would like to draw your attention to here. “Good school” is a subjective concept. There are of course some criteria that everyone agrees on, but it is important where you look at it from. If you look at the school from outside Germany, the list of good schools may be different, if you are an employer within Germany, the list of good schools may be different. If you intend to continue your career in Germany or if you find their evaluations more meaningful, take a look at the list of “Top IT universities in Germany preferred by employers“.

“The following schools are mostly based on the intensity of academic output in the international community. It should be noted that the rankings are more indicative of the opportunities and quality of master’s and, more importantly, doctoral studies than the quality of undergraduate studies.”

Technical University of Munich (TUM)

One of Germany’s most renowned technical schools. Its popularity is enhanced by the fact that it is located in Munich, a wealthy city and the center of major industrial companies. From geoinformatics to engineering informatics, it offers a total of 21 informatics-oriented programs, 7 of which are at undergraduate level. Moreover, half of these programs are taught in English.

https://www.in.tum.de

Technical University Berlin (TU Berlin)

It is also one of Germany’s most renowned technical schools. The fact that it is located in the capital and that the region is home to many international IT companies is a great advantage and one of the most important factors in its high ranking. The school offers 15 IT programs, 7 of which are at undergraduate level. At the Technical University Berlin, you can study a wide range of subjects, from media informatics to robotics.

TU Berlin informatik : https://www.tu.berlin/studieren/studienangebot/alle-studiengaenge/studiengang/informatik-b-sc/

Technical University Darmstadt (TU Darmstadt)

The largest faculty of the university, which offers 12 different programs in IT, is the Faculty of Information Technologies. I think this shows the importance they attach to the bay. The school is known for its innovative approaches to informatics education, especially at high school level, with a methodology known in the literature as the “Darmstadt Model”. Even though the city is not well known, the studies and research conducted at the Technical University of Darmstadt in the field of informatics is a factor that increases the recognition of the school in the informatics sector.

TU Darmstadt informatik : https://www.informatik.tu-darmstadt.de/fb20/index.de.jsp

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

It is one of Germany’s most internationally recognized technical schools. It is home to many national and international research projects and has a world-renowned reputation in the field of information technology. The school opened its first independent “Computer Science” program in 1969 after computer research began in the 1950s. The first e-mail in Germany was sent from here. There are currently 7 different IT programs. Of the 24,000 students at the school, 3,400 are studying informatics.

KIT informatik: https://www.informatik.kit.edu/

LMU Munich

One of the most popular and well-known schools in Germany. Although it is one of the first schools that comes to mind in many fields, it is a bit far from the top when it comes to IT. However, the school is very popular due to its location. The city of Munich is pushing for the top in LMU as it is in the technical university. The school has 17 informatics programs, 7 of which are undergraduate.

LMU informatics : https://www.ifi.lmu.de/

RWTH Aachen

RWTH Aachen, which is the most prestigious engineering school outside Germany, is also one of the best schools when it comes to informatics. If you ask me, its success in engineering education is the most important factor in its preference in the field of informatics. You can study in a total of 11 informatics programs, 2 of which are undergraduate programs.

RWTH informatics : https://www.informatik.rwth-aachen.de/

University of Freiburg

The University of Freiburg, one of the oldest and well-established schools in Germany, is also one of the leading schools in the field of informatics. It has programs that are especially known for their research on embedded systems. It offers 6 programs. Although it is geographically far from big cities, it attracts attention due to its proximity to Switzerland and its mild climate.

Freiburg informatics : https://www.informatik.uni-freiburg.de/

Humboldt University

One of Germany’s oldest educational institutions, the school is popular for its wide range of opportunities in IT in the city. It offers a total of 6 IT programs. Humboldt University is popular with international students due to its campus location and recognition.

Humboldt informatics : https://www.informatik.hu-berlin.de/

The most popular universities in Germany among employers from the IT industry

As I wrote above, international ratings of schools, generally based on academic performance, may not be very meaningful to employers. There are many reasons why German universities do not perform well in the rankings, if you are curious, check out my article “Why are German universities not at the top of international rankings?“. Employers create their own rankings based on feedback they receive from past graduates and the performance of their employees. According to the results of an annual survey, these are the universities that German employers consider to be the best in IT: 

informatik

When we look at the 2024 list, we observe that the first 3 schools have maintained their ranking from last year with one change of position. After that, the other schools in Berlin retained their 4th and 5th places. TU Darmstadt, Karlsruhe and Frankfurt performed poorly this year and lost places but are still on the list. LMU, which entered the list last year, performed very well. Leipzig did not find a place in the ranking this year.

Wirtschaftsinformatik

I’ve written before that one of the most popular computer science majors in Germany is Information Systems (see “Studying Computer Science in Germany“). Here is a list of the best schools in this field according to employers:

In the 2023 survey on the popularity of business informatics graduates, the top places remain unchanged. TU Munich and TU Darmstadt receive the highest preference rates from employers. TU Dresden, TU Frankfurt and TU Hamburg have improved by one place compared to last year. The University of Stuttgart dropped a few places, but still managed to make the list. The private Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, one of the two newcomers to the list, is also among the best business schools in Germany. TU Braunschweig is one of the schools I particularly like and follow.

Leipzig and Münster, which were not on the list last year, do not seem to have found a place in the top 10 this year.

The universities of applied sciences preferred by employers in Germany in the field of IT

In addition to the universities in Germany, I have already mentioned the so-called “Fachhochschulen”, whose curricula are more practice-oriented. Those who have not read my articles “What is a Fachhochschule?” and “University or Technical University or Fachhochschule?” can catch up. Because these schools maintain close cooperation with industrial companies and business circles during their training, their graduates are more likely to be favored than some university graduates. 

Fachhochschule informatik

2024 According to the results of the survey, employers preferred the Berlin schools.

Fachhochschule Wirtschaftsinformatik

The following table shows the preference rates of graduates of the School of Business Information Systems. Berlin dominates again, but schools in NRW (North Rhine-Westphalia) filled the list. The second surprise was that Karlsruhe did not make it onto this list either.